Arkansas State University’s athletic department has a new name and new leader for its fundraising arm. Carter Ford has been named executive director of the Red Wolf Foundation. Formerly the organization was named the Red Wolf Club.

Arkansas State is expected to name Texas co-offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin as its next football coach today. A 2 p.m. press conference is scheduled in Jonesboro to announce the new coach. Harsin, 35, is the hire, according to multiple sources.

Arkansas State Coach Gus Malzahn is expected to be named the coach at Auburn, according to a source. Malzahn has been at ASU less than a year after leaving Auburn where he served as offensive coordinator.

A Sun Belt Conference title isn’t the only thing on the line Saturday for Arkansas State Coach Gus Malzahn. Malzahn could earn a $50,000 bonus if the Red Wolves beat Middle Tennessee State and win the league championship.

Sometimes a great opportunity can come out of nowhere. You’re not looking for it. You’re not planning on it. It just happens. That was the case five years ago when the leadership at Arkansas Business Publishing Group approached me about joining a product they’d recently launched called ArkansasSports360.com. I owed it to myself to listen, but wasn’t sure how much I really wanted to leave my post as a back-up Razorback writer and general assignment sports writer at the statewide daily. Man, I’m glad I listened.

ArkansasSports360.com developed into a go-to source for breaking news and commentary since it launched in 2007. As we prepare for our Friday, 11:59 p.m. shutdown, let's look back at the posts that most interested you all, the readers. Today we look at items 10 through 1 on our most-read list:

Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long has said the Razorbacks will continue their policy of not scheduling in-state schools for sports, including football. Without the game, fans are left to do things like compare scores. Another comparison of note for fans this week? The most recent team rankings on college football blogs run by USA Today and CBS.

WHY ARKANSAS STATE WON: A complete conference game — yes, even the special teams — gave Arkansas State its third consecutive victory. The Red Wolves (5-3, 3-1) controlled momentum for four quarters, and when the Ragin Cajuns (4-3, 2-2) took a step forward, John Thompson’s defense forced them into mistakes, including five turnovers. Senior Ryan Aplin finished the game 21 of 31 for 269 yards and one touchdown while David Oku rushed for his team high 10th touchdown as ASU never trailed and didn’t allow the Cajuns to score until the seven-minute mark in the second quarter. The large lead for ASU allowed to the team to run 27 straight rushing plays to end the game. The final pass play came with 8:39 left in the third quarter.

Qushaun Lee didn’t miss a step. That was clear last Thursday when the sophomore linebacker turned in one of the best games of his two-year career. He led Arkansas State with 12 tackles, deflected one pass and had his first interception of the season against Florida International. ASU hopes for a similar performance Saturday against South Alabama.

Football has always seemed to come easy for Michael Dyer. Where Dyer seems to have problems succeeding is off the field. Dyer, who dismissed at Arkansas State prior to the season after details of a traffic stop involving a gun and marijuana became public, can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Dyer is now at Arkansas Baptist, working on skills outside of football. It’s there that USA Today writer George Schroeder caught up with Dyer and the folks charged with helping him.

Qushaun Lee’s return for Arkansas State was an impactful one. Lee, a sophomore linebacker, tallied 12 tackles, intercepted a pass and broke up another in his first game back from a Sun Belt Conference-mandated, one-game suspension. His performance against Florida International landed him the SBC Defensive Player of the Week award.

Why Arkansas State Won: Key field position from Florida International turnovers led to multiple Red Wolves scores as Arkansas State bounced back from a missed field goal to score five times behind Ryan Aplin’s 15 of 23 passing for 223 yards and one score through the air and ground each. The defense benefited from playing against FIU’s (1-5, 0-2) first freshman at quarterback since 2002 and limited the Panthers to 341 yards of total offense and just six 3rd down conversions. J.D. McKissic once again led the Red Wolves in receiving with a career high 124 yard on five catches, giving him an average of 24.8 yards per catch and one touchdown.

A short week means breakneck preparation. That is what Arkansas State (2-3, 0-1 Sun Belt) faces as the Red Wolves play their second conference game of the season at Florida International (1-4, 0-1) just five days after falling to Western Kentucky. Work for ASU began not too long after the final gun Saturday night. ASU prefers a fast tempo on offense and defense, but the speed with which the preparation has to happen this week is fast even for the Red Wolves.

Gus Malzahn’s contract with Arkansas State includes buyouts ranging from $50,000 to $2.45 million depending on who terminates the contract and how many years remain. Malzahn recently signed the contract, which runs through Jan. 31, 2017.

Antonio Andrews rushed for 215 yards and Western Kentucky scored 26 straight points in the second half en route to a 26-13 victory over Arkansas State on Saturday in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams.

There has been little margin of error in recent meetings between Western Kentucky and Arkansas State. Only nine points separate the two schools in their previous three meetings. In 2011 the Red Wolves left Bowling Green, Ky. with a 26-22 victory. A year earlier the Hilltoppers escaped Jonesboro with a one-point victory. ASU won 24-20 in 2009 at WKU. Because of that, special teams play could be critical when the two programs meet on Saturday.

Arkansas State has its non-conference schedule out of the way. Now the real games can begin. The Red Wolves enter Sun Belt Conference play Saturday against Western Kentucky (3-1) in nearly the same position as last year. They’re 2-2 under a first-year head coach after facing two BCS schools, a down on its luck Memphis squad and an FCS opponent. Unlike last year, the Red Wolves begin league play as the defending Sun Belt champs. Their title defense begins against a Hilltoppers team that has become a proven threat in the Sun Belt, winning 10 of its last 12 games.